IT and digital employers seek talent abroad amid UK skills shortage

UK IT and digital companies are among the worst affected by a skills shortage, which is forcing
employers to look abroad for talent, according to City & Guilds.

To kick off Work Experience Week, the company released its research revealing that 60% of all
employers are struggling to find the right candidates. However, 74% of employers in the digital, IT
and information services industry claim to be facing a skills crisis.

Surveying 1,000 UK businesses, the research found almost 50% of digital companies are
considering looking abroad for potential candidates. A total of 61% of these feel the need to look
abroad because young people in the UK are leaving education without the right skills needed for the
sector.

The figure is much higher in the digital sector than others. Only 25% are considering looking
abroad for new employees in the public sector, 22% in retail and sales and 24% in hospitality and
tourism.

Chris Jones, chief executive and director-general of City & Guilds,said: “This
research has huge implications for the government’s attempts to curb youth unemployment, which
still lags at around one million. But the issue is not simply a lack of job opportunities. There is
a more fundamental problem with the qualifications, core skills and lack of understanding of the
workplace that is preventing young people from successfully finding employment.

“It is clear that a step change is needed in the education system to move away from a pure focus
on academia towards a curriculum that meets the needs of employers.”

Work experience

The research also found that 80% of employers in the IT and digital sector believe work
experience puts young people in the strongest position for securing work, by reading them for the
work of business. A total of 70% said they would be more likely to hire a young person with work
experience over a candidate with none.

Of those asked, 66% believe structured work experience should be mandatory for 16-18 year
olds.

The survey also found that the digital sector works harder than any other to attract new talent
through working with school and colleges, with 76% of employers from the sector investing their
time here. This figure was just 58% for employers from across all sectors surveyed.

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